Replacement
by Leopardheart-Naux-Kadaj
Summary: Two Nobodies come together after they both lose what was precious to them.


Replacement

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_Rating: PG-13, um, my first M-rated thing that actually is M within the first chapter and I'm shy because I'm a chicken. A tasteful chicken, but a chicken._

_Pairings: Mentions of Akuroku, Zemyx, and main AkuDem_

_Summary: Roxas left and Zexion was killed, leaving Axel and Demyx all alone, and their chests feel empty in a whole new way._

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The mourning notes of the piano echoed across the room as the pianist played, reverberating his sorrow and telling his story. His fingers, long and skilled, played a song he didn't know, one buried in his mind and brought to the surface by pain. His luminescent, toxic green eyes are half-closed in concentration as he watched his black-gloved hands strike each key perfectly.

The redhead didn't notice the other instrument player watching him with a knowing, understanding look in his pale eyes, too focused on playing the concert grand with effortless perfection to look away. Without taking his eyes off the slender man, the other man unzipped his sitar case and pulled out the blue instrument. His footsteps, despite the boots, were silent as he walked up to the midnight black piano, his steps drowned out by the beautiful song the redhead was coaxing out of the instrument.

With an almost imperceptible nod of his head, the tall skinny redhead gave the blond with a faux-hawk permission to join him - one musician to another, one Nobody to another. The sitarist sat down on the bench with his back to the pianist and carefully the strummed the strings of his instrument, making the redhead's solo a duet. The blond man strummed it gently, feeling his way into a new type of song, one with a meaningful quiet melody that yearned for peace rather than the instigation of war. Against all former odds, the blond and redhead understood one another and created a song, telling their stories and easing one another's pain, as impossible as that emotion was.

_I didn't know you long_  
_But you were my everything_  
_You made me question this_  
_Made lies of what I think_

Both instrumentally-inclined men had fallen for someone, despite being told and accepting that love was impossible, for they were Nobodies.

The redheaded pyrokinetic had fallen for a young blond boy, the insecure newbie to their group. The boy was quiet and a bit daft, but the ginger couldn't help but feel affection for him. The ruffle-haired boy had recently turned his back on their group, searching for his literal other half, the one who held his memories.

The blond with a faux-hawk had fallen for someone who was his complete opposite, which had initially confused him as to why he felt this odd tug inside him, but in the end it made sense. The silver-haired Cloaked Schemer did, in short, complete him. Pessimistic for optimistic; silent for obnoxious; completely instrumentally-uninclined for a well, awesome sitar master; calculating for naive. But to the sitar player's dismay, the small Nobody had been killed, choked to death by another Nobody's experiment, his life unfairly taken. _(How cruel would it be for him to know it was the pianist who had witnessed and egged on the murder, when he is who the sitarist has left to turn to?)_

_You've left me now and for what?_  
_Who benefits from your lost soul?_  
_I needed you with me forever_  
_And now I'm empty, numb and cold_

The redhead felt himself striking the black and white keys harder and faster and the blond matched his passion and fervor with the strumming of the strings. Unabridged misery swept over them, another impossible feeling tied to the feelings they harbored for those departed. They played their nonexistent hearts out, forcing out the burden of the impossible feelings they'd kept bottled up inside - sorrow, pain - into such harsh but beautiful notes. They turned what used to be foreign emotions of heartache - how long had that been once conceivable? - into a swirl of notes, a cascade of measures, a song of fearless, twisted, cruel love. Both musicians bit their bottom lips in concentration to hold in vocalizations of this depression as well as a physical sign of concentration as they played out the climax of their wordless song. Their green eyes - different shades that matched the men they belonged to's personality - were closed as they unwittingly leaned against each other as they played the loudest, most passionate part of their duet.

Slowly, their songs calmed down again, returning to a solemn, mourning piece. This part felt almost familiar and their teeth released their bottom lips as their fingers moved more fluidly over the keys and strings. Despite the reason they're playing - the mourning of ones held close - they felt a sense of contentment, tranquility that they found a release for this anger, this pain, such malcontentment.

_Forgive me for this thankful kiss_  
_It must seem so unfaithful to you_  
_But he is just a replacement_  
_My only love was - is - you_

The final beautiful notes echoed across the room, the mournful sounds lingering as if they didn't want to go. After a wordless space that seemed almost eternal, the blond with a faux-hawk turned around to face the spiky redhead, and speak to him. But as he parted his lips to speak, the pianist placed his index finger against them to silence him while giving a look like,_ "Don't speak Demyx, it's really not necessary."_

Demyx's eyes looked as if they were to argue, the pale green irises looking at him like,_ "But Axel I want to thank you!"_

Axel removed his finger off Demyx's lips and replaced it with his own, his head tilting slightly. Under different circumstances, the hydrokinetic man would've pulled away but not this time. He accepted this kiss and moved his lips against Axel's as he closed his eyes.

At first there was no real passion, for the kiss was just an unspoken thank-you and nothing more. But as they pulled away to breathe, both intending to leave and keep this instance behind closed doors, neither wanted to be alone again. Once you know what it feels like to be complete, being alone actually feels empty, feels desolate. They leaned in for another kiss, cupping the other's face in their gloved hands. The redhead slid his tongue into blond's mouth after seeking entrance. Axel explored Demyx's mouth, something he'd done countless times to his former lover, and relished the sweet yet tart taste of pomegranates - what an interesting taste for him to have. Demyx weaved his fingers into the other man's thick, spiky red hair, pulling him closer in an act of irrepressible want - want to be whole, want to have comfort and company. He gasped quietly as Axel gently tugged on the zipper of his ankle-length cloak, though he shouldn't have been surprised. That was how Axel resolved this empty feeling - by sleeping with someone, earning him quite the reputation before the Keyblade wielder had come around. Something in the sitarist willed him to comply - maybe his own desire to move on? - and he did.

As the sitarist copies the pianists movements, the redhead summoned a dark corridor behind him, lightly pushing him into it and following him into the bedroom. Axel easily pinned the blond man, shedding his cloak as Demyx removed his. The slightly shorter man took off his gloves with his teeth, ever-so-slightly smirking at the redhead. The redhead copied him, including the smirk before kissing up his neck, his jaw, the way he used to do to his honey-blond uke. Demyx gripped Axel's hips and yanked him closer, smiling as he moaned against his neck. They memorized the contours and concaves, every sensitive spot of the other's body the way they memorized an infinite number of songs: by touch and sound - they way Axel groaned as Demyx fondled his effeminate hips, the twitches and moans through clenched teeth Demyx released as Axel nipped his collarbone.

Just this one night, they told themselves as their hands snaked lower and undid the button of their tight black pants. Only for tonight would they pretend to be lovers, pretend to replace their lost loves in such a physical fashion. Only this once would they catch themselves thrusting against each other in such empty passion, such a misplaced form of making love. Only this one time would they kiss and touch and thrust this way to forget their pain and sorrow - such cold irony that the one thing they had longed for they seek to abandon now. Only tonight would Axel and Demyx come together in lust and give in to their desire, so they could try and erase those impossible feelings for those they had once fallen for.

They cried out each other's names, moaning and panting in pleasure. They fell asleep in each other's arms - that would be to put in romantically, since Demyx was all but splayed across Axel's body, quickly asleep while Axel watched, his insomnia keeping him awake.

The next morning, though closer to noon, they met up at the room where the concert grand was kept and where the blond had left his sitar. After he packed his sitar up into its sleek black case, he turned to see the redhead with an almost confused expression on his face, as if he didn't know what to say. He offered a handshake, extending his hand to the blond as if to clarify they aren't together, just friends. The sitarist gave him a look, took the black-gloved hand and pulled the pianist close. He kissed the other man's cheek, just below the reverse teardrop before planting one on his lips, portraying a message torn between 'thank you' and 'anytime.' Demyx straightened the strap for his sitar case and left, Axel smiling faintly after him.

Every once in awhile, they'd instigate their supposed 'one-time-only' affair again. They'd sit down and play their duet passionately. The pianist would strike each key perfectly and the sitarist would strum each chord with as fervor as he could muster. They'd finish the song, allow the lingering beautiful notes to fade into complete silence and take their activities to the bedroom. But slowly, Axel's song became quieter, more mournful. In bed, he was distracted, and less focused on the pleasure, his eyes hazy, his movements out of synch. One day, Axel didn't show up all together. But Demyx shouldn't have been surprised - replacements only last so long before they're replaced again. Replacements will never be as good as the original.

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**Author's Note: I was inspired for this after watching my Axel-cosplaying friend play the piano. It's such a just, powerful thing to watch. People who really enjoy playing the instrument they're gifted for is so breathtaking. It's indescribable, really. Also inspired by Demyx-Time, which pushed me to ship AkuDem. There was a whole chunk I kept out of this because I thought it was too "soft" but I tend to think Demyx and Axel would share really sweet, gentle moments because Axel was more of an emotional character, and Demyx was never truly harsh and cruel or cold like the others. I have a lot of feels, okay? *cries to self* Okay. Rant over. Sorry.**


End file.
